Proposing a Workshop

Eligibility

• Any scholar affiliated with an ECPR Full Member institution is eligible to serve as a Workshop Director.
• Associate Members can co-direct a Workshop only when partnered with a scholar from a Full Member institution. They are not eligible to act as sole Directors.
• To Co-Direct a Workshop, you must be affiliated with either an ECPR Full Member or Associate Member institution.
• A Workshop can be led by a single Director or by one Director and one Co-Director. However, owing to the significant workload involved in organising a Workshop, we strongly recommend having both a Director and a Co-Director to share responsibilities.
• Individuals who served in any Workshop leadership role — as Director or Co-Director — in 2024 or 2025 are not eligible to serve in either role in 2026.
• Approved Workshop Directors and Co-Directors in 2026 will only be eligible to apply again in 2028.
• Directors and Co-Directors must represent institutions in different countries.
• The Workshop Director has the key responsibility of reaching out to their participants ahead of the event and keep them updated on event details and schedule times.

Student eligibility

• Students are eligible to direct or co-direct a Workshop only in collaboration with a scholar, not with another student.
• Student proposers must be in the final year of their PhD programme.
• They must also have prior experience organising panels or sections at an ECPR General Conference.

What you'll need

• A Workshop title.
• A brief introduction of the Workshop theme, aims and objectives.
• Explanation of why the discipline needs the Workshop.
• Key questions to be addressed in the Workshop.
• Workshop Director and Co-Director's details as registered on their My ECPR account.
• Paper topics sought, after Workshops have been selected.

Workshop evaluation criteria

• Each proposal is evaluated by the ECPR Executive Committee and a Panel of previous Workshop Directors.
• Workshop evaluations are based on:
  • Originality of the topic and approach
  • Academic merit and scholarly contribution
  • Potential for participant engagement and interaction
• Workshop topics must be original and cannot duplicate those presented in the 2024 and 2025 Joint Sessions.
• The Joint Sessions comprise of only 35 Workshops. Therefore, ensure your proposal meets all the required criteria to remain competitive.

What happens next

Proposers will be informed about the outcome of their submissions in November 2025.

All Papers will be presented in person at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Please ensure any Paper proposals you encourage are made aware of this.

Standing Group endorsements

Standing Groups or Research Networks can endorse only one Workshop each. This can be a joint endorsement with one or more Standing Groups or Research Networks.

Aspiring Workshop directors should contact the Steering Committee Chairs to seek such endorsement and must confirm the endorsement when submitting the online form.

Endorsed proposals are treated preferentially.

Proposing a Paper

You can only attend one Workshop and must be present and fully participate in all of the Workshop sessions.

Paper Submissions

• Please be aware, before submitting your proposal, all Workshops will be held in person. This event does not support hybrid Workshops.
• Paper proposers may submit only one paper; any additional submissions will be withdrawn.

Who can propose

• Anyone conducting research in the field covered by the Workshop.
• Only 10% of the total number of participants in a Workshop can be from an ECPR non-member institution – Workshop Directors will select on this basis.
• Anyone proposing a Paper must have a My ECPR account.
• If a Paper is co-authored, up to two authors can participate and attend the Workshop.

What you'll need

• The Workshop number and/or title you wish to propose to, as listed in the Academic Programme;
• The Paper title (no more than 20 words);
• The abstract (no more than 500 words);
• 3–8 keywords, selected from a predetermined list, indicating the Paper’s subject, theme and scope. We use these keywords to categorise Papers, enabling users to search the online programme.
• The Co-author’s email address as registered in My ECPR (if applicable).

What happens next

From December 2025, Workshop Directors can access all submitted proposals to start selecting the Papers. You will be notified of the Directors' decision by mid-January 2026.

Funding

You could get funded to attend our Joint Sessions of Workshops with the support of our dedicated funding stream.

All participants must register to attend. However, please do not register until you have heard about the outcome of your application.

Please note:

• You must not be in receipt of any other funding for this event.
• You must not have received funding from ECPR within the last two years.

Registration

Participants attending and appearing in any capacity in the Academic Programme must register and pay through ECPR’s online system before the registration deadline.

All participants must pay a fee, with the exception of Workshop Directors who are exempt from payment but must still register.

Student registration

Students are eligible for a reduced registration fee. To qualify, ensure your student status is verified in your My ECPR profile before registering. Upload a student ID or enrollment confirmation with a valid expiry date here.

You will receive a confirmation email once verified, allowing you to register for the event.

N.B. Your uploaded document is purely for verification purposes and will be deleted from our system once verification is complete.

Paper upload

• Contact your Workshop Director for presentation times and scheduling.
• Upload  your paper (in PDF and English) by March 2026 so your fellow attendees can prepare comments and questions.
• Papers are only available on the ECPR Events App. You can download papers from your fellow Workshop attendees directly through the app.
• You will only be able to download papers from attendees in your own Workshop, not from other Workshops.

You can upload your paper via My Events in your My ECPR account. For step-by-step guidance, visit our Help Centre and view the Paper Upload Instructions article.

Uploading your paper via My ECPR constitutes an agreement for ECPR to publish the paper on the event app accessible to participants.

Visas

Visas are the responsibility of the individual. Depending on the purpose of travel and your country of origin, different types of visas will apply. Enquire well in advance about entry regulations at the embassy or consulate in your home country.

Visa letters will be supplied only when we have received your registration fee in full and after the 14-day cooling-off period. ECPR cannot offer any further advice on visas.

Travel and accommodation

If you are directing or planning to attend a Workshop taking place at the University of Innsbruck, please do not book your accommodation or travel until your participation has been confirmed.

When arranging travel and accommodation, ensure that your booking is refundable. It is your responsibility to arrange appropriate travel insurance. ECPR is not liable for reimbursing the cost of travel or accommodation made by participants.